Wednesday, November 25, 2009

Double-Layer Pumpkin Cheesecake

So, this is my contribution to Thanksgiving dinner tomorrow night with our families....but, since I'm about the only one who likes Pumpkin Pie I decided to try a hybrid of yummy desserts in the hopes that I can get a few more people to try pumpkin for dessert!!

I grew up always having my mom's pumpkin pie for dessert every Thanksgiving and Christmas...it was always the same pie and I LOVED it. Funny enough, looking back I think it's just the recipe off the back of the Libby's pumpkin can, but it was good nonetheless and to me, it's just not Thanksgiving without Pumpkin Pie.



I started with the crust, and this was an EASY one...I sprayed the bottom of the pie pan with Pam, crunched up some graham crackers and sprinkled the crumbs in the dish. That's it...can't beat that!! I did however tweak it a little and make more crumbs because it's my pie and gosh darn-it, I like a thick crust =)


On a side note, I don't know how I ever let this little miracle kitchen machine sit in my cupboard unused for 3 years!! I have used this little "food processor" more times in the past year than since we got it for our wedding. It actually came as a free attachment for a hand blender (the kind you use to stick in milkshakes) and I LOVE it!!! I can make sauce in it, crush graham crackers and Oreos and puree just about anything!!
Moving on....
As I got the ingredients out I knew this was going to be yummy because it called for this -

Cream Cheese is like butter in recipes for me, the more that is called for, the better you know that recipe is going to turn out!!

So I mixed and divided and layered and about 40 minutes later I had this....there is a white layer of just cheesecake and then a thinner layer on top of pumpkin cheesecake.
This was my first stab at real cheesecake and since it's in a dish like this I can't exactly take a piece and try it so I'll have to let you know tomorrow night how it turned out. It looks great so i can't imagine it being a total disaster!! If it turns out as good as it looks, I will post the recipe AND you can expect to see many more cheesecakes because in this family we are Cream Cheese lovers!!!
Happy Thanksgiving to you and your families!!!

Saturday, November 21, 2009

An unexpected treat...

So I've been stalking the TCM website looking for Romance/Comedies to DVR lately so I have something decent to watch while the kids are napping and I'm folding laundry or knitting or just relaxing and I recorded this movie a few days ago and got around to watching it this afternoon...

I know a lot of songs from musicals, but I had no idea that this movie had such great music, AND that it is where the song about the "Atchison, Topeka and the Santa Fe" came from, so that was a nice surprise. It was a super cute movie and it was nice to see a movie where the "good girls" win!!

The last week I have been watching lots of "classic" movies and I have to say that I am truly enjoying them more than most of the modern movies. It is so nice to watch a movie and not have to worry about Karyl seeing or hearing something she shouldn't (not that we watch bad movies anyways, but you get the idea) and that has a real storyline.

So thank you TCM and all of the great actors and actresses from the early 1900's for making such great, wholesome movies...If only we could get Hollywood back to those days.

Oh, and I will be posting the recipe for those peanut butter cream cheese bars soon....thank you Lisa for asking Greg about the recipe!!! Maybe I will send him with some to work one morning...

Tuesday, November 3, 2009

Oreo Truffles


Having this blog has made me really WANT to try new recipes and get creative...something that is very hard for me to do seeing as how I appreciate and thrive on consistency. Last Saturday I set out to make Oreo Truffles. I had saved the recipe from a box of Philadelphia Cream Cheese a while back, and then I saw them on an old post from one of my favorite cooking blogs, Bakerella, so I decided to give them a try.
These are super easy, but using white chocolate chips WILL NOT work for the coating. If you don't believe me go ahead and try...you'll just waste a perfectly good bag of yummy white chocolate chips...
Anyways, here's what you're going to need:
*A package of Oreos or 2 stacks of Oreos from the Costco box (NOT Double Stuff)
*One 8 oz. package of cream cheese, SOFTENED.
*White melting chocolate, the kind that comes in a brick (I got some from Albertson's, but you can also use the candy chocolate from Wal-Mart or JoAnn's...)
*A cookie sheet lined with wax paper (make sure to use a cookie sheet that will fit in your freezer).
Here's what you do....
*Mix together the Oreo crumbs and the cream cheese...you can use your hands or a large metal spoon.
*Roll out as many balls as you can, about 1 inch in diameter....I used a cookie scooper and that made things super easy and a lot less messy...set them on a cookie sheet covered with wax paper.
*Put the cookie sheet in the freezer for about 10 minutes (or longer) to harden the truffles. I made these on Saturday morning and after the disaster with the chip melting I covered the cookie sheet tightly in foil and left it in the freezer...they were just fine when I pulled them out this morning to bathe them in the appropriate chocolate coating.
*Pull them out and melt some of the dipping chocolate (I used 4 blocks of the package I got from Albertson's...maybe 1/3 of a pound....) with a spoon, tap the spoon on the side of the bowl to get the extra chocolate off and then let the truffles slide back on to the wax paper.
Once done, put them in the fridge for a few minutes to harden and they are all set to go. Now, being that these have uncooked cream cheese in them, I would keep them in the fridge until you are ready to use them. I honestly don't know if they need refrigeration after they're done but I would err on the side of caution!!
A few things I discovered while making these that might proved helpful...
**Save a little of the crushed Oreos to sprinkle on the top after you dip each truffle...the white chocolate collects pieces of the truffles and start to look more Cookies n' Cream than white chocolate. With the Oreo sprinkled on it looks like the added spots are supposed to be there.
**Again, use dipping/melting chocolate...
**Be careful how close you put them on the tray after you coat them...the chocolate will run a little and the truffles will attach themselves to each other.
**I only put the pretty ones in the final pictures...some of them will fall on the tray sideways or just not look perfectly round...I'm sure that with some practice that goes away. Until then, just remember that they don't taste any different, and your taste testers aren't going to care that they aren't a perfect circle!!
Now go and enjoy these yummy little treats...you deserve them!!!
Now the question is, what do I make for the dessert plate next??

Oh peanut buttery goodness

Alright, even earlier than promised here are pictures of the new Peanut Butter Cream Cheese Layer Bars I made the other night...


They had a few steps, but turned out well worth it in the end!! These are super yummy...but lesson learned, I am making them in the 9x13 that the recipe called for next time. I didn't think there would be enough to cover the 9x13 so I changed to the 8x8...and while they are still just as good, they would have totally worked in the 9x13, AND they would have been thinner which would have been yummy.

Basically these are a peanut butter cookie base with chocolate spread and hardened, then a layer of the following:
Cream cheese
Powdered sugar
Whipping cream
Peanut butter

I know, sounds tasty, doesn't it??

Then the top is simply a few cookies I baked on their own and crumbled up.

I think I might even go and have a piece right now....at 8:30 am.....Mmmmm.....

I am going to finish some Oreo Truffle I started on Saturday this afternoon and I will post pictures of those when they're done. Hint-when a recipe calls for dipping something in chocolate, DON'T think you can get away with using the chocolate chips....you'll just end up wasting a perfectly good bag of them. Spring for the baking/melting chocolate =)

Oh well...

So I just realized that it's been a month since I posted anything on here, and I apologize!! We have finally gotten everything back to normal here after all the surgeries and craziness...now the Holidays are upon us and it's like the craziness just never ends. I am updating my famly blog right now and then I will be updating this one later on tonight with some pictures of yummy treats I've made in the past few days....they include Oreo Truffles and Peanut Butter Cream Cheese Layer Bars (Both got my hubby's approval, which means they are AWESOME!!!). If anyone wants the recipes let me know and I will post it....I never know who wants to see it and who doesn't...


Until later tonight!!